1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disposable absorbent article such as a diaper, a sanitary napkin and a panty liner which has improved microbial inhibition and deodorizing ability.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Disposable absorbent articles include a diaper, a sanitary napkin and a panty liner which absorb body exudates.
Hitherto, studies for such disposable absorbent articles have been primarily focused on the absorptive capacity of the article; and, as a result, various absorbent polymers with high absorptive power have been developed.
The focus of recent studies is, however, being shifted to the removal of foul smell and the prevention of skin diseases such as dermatitis, rash and redness caused by wearing a disposable absorbent article for a relatively long time. Urine or other exudates absorbed into the absorbent is converted to ammonia by urease produced by skin-flora, i.e., a group of normal microorganisms on skin; and, in turn, the ammonia causes dermatitis, rash or other forms of skin irritation.
Korean Patent Laid-open Publication Nos. 86-8743 and 86-8744 describe that an article containing an inorganic acid or acid funtional residues controls pH and thus protects skin from rashs. However, such an acid-containing article cannot inhibit urease activity of skin-flora which is the root cause of the problem.
Korean Patent Laid-open Publication No. 90-6454 discloses a disposable absorbent article containing certain far-infrared radiating ceramic. This article has limited effect of removing the foul smell initially occurring from body exudates. However, the far-infrared radiating ceramic fails to inhibit the activity of skin-flora; and, therefore, cannot deodorize the foul smell produced beyond the initial period by the action of microorganisms.
Another method commonly practiced in the industry employs chemical sterilizers to treat a disposable absorbent article. However, such chemical sterilizers tend to cause another level of skin irritation due to its toxic property.